Oh yeah, the "golden era" had some hysterical times, and plenty of goings-on that would shock polite society. And like Smokey Yunick once said, the rulebook got a lot thicker because of those guys. I had the good fortune for a few years to be around Fuel guys, and some of the early FC racers, many of whom were at a whole 'nother level of insanity compared to "normal" people. But the racing was passionate & gritty & tightly knit in ways that seem mostly lost now.
Someday maybe I can tell those stories...